Elroy
by writer writing
Summary: Lois gets a cat for her birthday.


Lois was sitting on the couch in her apartment. Chloe and Clark were standing up and facing Lois. Lois had two presents in front of her.

"I'm going to open the big one first," Lois declared.

"Bigger isn't always better," Clark warned.

"Yeah, but the big one is from Chloe. No offense, Smallville, but I don't have any faith in your shopping skills, especially if they're anything like your wrapping skills."

Lois tore off the wrapping paper and said, "Kitty litter? Gee, it's just what I always wanted for my birthday."

"See? I told you bigger isn't necessarily better," Clark said with a smile, "now open mine."

Lois picked up the small box. She shook it next to her ear, trying to guess what it was, and said teasingly, "A diamond ring, Clarkie? It's all so sudden."

"Just open it," he said, exasperated.

Lois did and pulled out a gift card. "A gift card to the vet. How thoughtful. I bet I could get in to see the vet faster and at a cheaper rate than a human doctor. Seriously, guys, I'm hoping these are both gag gifts and that you all have a better present for me."

"We sure do," Chloe said. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

"That's more like it," Lois said, as she closed her eyes and put out her hands.

Clark was the one to get it and put it in Lois' hands.

Lois found a small gray and white kitten in her hands when she opened her eyes. "It's alive," she said in a voice mixed with surprise and disgust.

"We can't put anything past you," Clark teased.

"We thought it might not be a good idea to wrap the kitten up in a box and take him to your party. Do you like it?" Chloe wanted to know.

"It's great. Maybe I can teach him to fend off intruders," Lois said, trying her best to act like she liked the present.

Clark and Chloe knew she was only acting, but they thought that she'd end up liking it in the long run. Lois so rarely expressed her feelings and showered affection that having a cat would be good for her. Animals were the best kind of therapy. Her allergies had put dogs out of the question.

Chloe was hiding a glob of butter on her finger and she sat down beside Lois. In one brief second, the butter had moved from Chloe's finger to Lois' nose.

Lois wasn't surprised by this and she went to wipe it off with a towel. Chloe was laughing hysterically and Clark was just confused.

"Why did you do that?" Clark asked.

"It's an old family tradition," Chloe answered. "It can be traced back to the Scotch-Irish. It was believed that bad spirits were drawn to a person on their birthday. So the butter was a way of slipping them off you. It's just like making a wish and blowing out the candles. Do people know why they do that? The smoke from the candle is supposed to carry your wish up to heaven."

"Of course, our family didn't know why they were doing the butter thing until Chloe looked it up. They just held onto the superstition because it was funny."

Clark smiled and said, "Are you ready to go down to your party?"

"What about the cat? He'll rip my apartment into shreds."

Chloe shut him in the closet with his supplies.

The party was nice. There was cake and punch and Lois got all kinds of good presents from the rest of her friends.

After it was over and Lois was getting ready for bed, she remembered she had a cat and let it out. He had made use of the food and litter that Chloe had left with him. They had gotten all the supplies for the cat. The only thing she had to do was keep up its care.

Lois went to watch some TV but kept getting distracted by the animal as he rubbed up against her legs and pounced on her bunny slippers.

"Cat, why don't you go curl up in a corner somewhere?"

He seemed to think that Lois had invited him up on the couch with her. He curled up in her lap. Lois hesitatingly stroked it. She became more comfortable and amused when it began to purr.

"Well, furball. I guess we're stuck together like it or not. It figures they would get me an affectionate cat instead of one that likes to keep to himself. I guess you'll have to have a name. I've always been fond of Clarkie but that seems more suitable for a dog or a human. I never liked traditional animal names like FeFe or Boots. How about Elroy? That's a dignified name."

Elroy looked up at her in what appeared to be a gesture of approval. They both fell asleep in front of the TV. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The End


End file.
